Letters to the Editor - Jan. 5, 2013

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Posted Jan. 5, 2013 at 3:15 AM

Posted Jan. 5, 2013 at 3:15 AM

To the editor: The members of the Portsmouth Fire Department would like to thank everyone who helped out with our annual Seacoast Area Firefighters Toy Bank this year. We are grateful for all of the wonderful gifts and toys that were donated. Because of the many generous donations, we were able to provide toys, clothing, winter jackets, pants, hats, and mittens to the many families that were in need this Christmas.

A special thank you goes out to Kane Real Estate for the donation of office space to work out of while sorting and distributing all the gifts. We would like to also thank The City of Portsmouth Welfare office, G. Willikers! on Market St, Direct Capital, Waddell & Reed, Provident Bank on Daniel St, TD Bank at Pease, Moe’s of Portsmouth, Wing-itz on Lafayette Rd, Patriots Park, K-Mart, Walmart, Old Navy, Volk Packaging Corp of Biddeford, The Dust Busters, as well as the many other groups and individuals that have donated making this yet another successful year.

Thank You to all of the hard working members of the Seacoast Area Firefighters Toy Bank, Portsmouth Firefighters Local 1313, Portsmouth Fire Officers Local 4039, Portsmouth Firefighters Charitable Association, and to the Portsmouth Fire Department’s administrative staff for making this another successful year!

Steve Morse

Portsmouth Firefighters

Local #1313

Seacoast Area

Firefighters Toy Bank

To the editor: Just wanted to say thank you to the city and businesses of Dover for your wonderful downtown Christmas display.

On Christmas Eve we traveled home to Maine from Rhode Island, taking the scenic route through Dover and other New Hampshire towns. Dover truly stood out, with your shooting stars hanging from the lampposts to the lights and decorations in the store windows.

We drove around a couple of times to take it all in and have been telling everyone we know how lovely it was.

So again, thank you for helping to make our Christmas Eve travels so enjoyable and memorable. Happy New Year and God bless.

Deb and Jack Dean

Naples, Maine

To the editor: In Foster’s, the town of Barrington boldly announced it would not be responsible for damage to personal property within 50 feet of the roadway. This is tantamount to claiming they are not responsible should a town vehicle strike my legally parked automobile. I doubt that would hold up in a court of law. Once again, it is open season for the town’s snow plows.

Our mail box has been struck multiple times over the past few years by a town of Barrington snow plow. Twice it has been destroyed. The first time I reported it to the town clerk who recorded my name and address letting me know I would be reimbursed for the cost of replacement. Nothing was forthcoming. The second time, the plow operator stopped to apologize. He was very sorry, but informed me I had no recourse to compensation. I personally appealed to a meeting of the Board of Selectmen, but it fell on deaf ears. This is absolutely unjust. When will the town of Barrington realize they are responsible for the actions of their contractors and assume responsibility on behalf of its citizens?

Randal Heller

Barrington

To the editor: In the Foster’s of Dec. 26 there is a Community Commentary by Mr. Wayne Merritt, in which, by innuendo, he suggests America would be better off emulating the Japanese attitude toward guns. He suggests Japan is a peaceful society. He describes himself as a “Japanophile”.

I would suggest that as a “Japanophile,” Mr. Merritt has blinders on. Japan in the 20th century was one of the most barbaric countries on the planet. Their cruelty exceeded even that of Nazi Germany. Does Mr. Merritt fail to remember the Batan Death March, the Cabutain Prison Camp, the Rape of Nanking? How about the use of POW’s as slave labor for construction projects. Remember the “Bridge Over the River Kwai”?

Japan is a country steeped in the tradition of Bushido. Japan, even today is a society of strict “class.” They still have an emperor. In the middle of the 20th century failure to follow orders resulted in instant death in the same manner of the Islamic Terrorists ... they cut off your head.

To suggest, as Mr. Merritt does in his article that Japan is “Gun Free” is flat out not true. Japanese gangsters, the Yakuza, are all heavily armed — between 1985 and 1989 there were over 200 gunbattles between Yakuza factions. There were 26 killed and many many more wounded including innocent bystanders. Obviously, the Yakuza didn’t get the word that they weren’t supposed to have guns, or maybe since they were gangsters they didn’t care what the law said?

In a 1990 gunbattle between the police and gangsters seven people were killed, including 2 policeman. Feel free to check out the Internet and you will find a long list of crimes committed in Japan with guns. But that’s not all ... they also have knives and swords.

-- In 2001, a 37-year-old school janitor killed eight elementary school students and wounded 13 with a kitchen knife.

-- In 2008, a man drove a truck into a crowd of shoppers, jumped out and started knifing the survivors. He killed seven, injured 11.

This goes to prove that the NRA is correct when the say that if someone wants to kill, they will find a way, gun or no gun.

The NRA is absolutely correct when they say the best defense against a “bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. I am a life member of the NRA. I carry a gun in my line of work which is security. Demonizing gun owners is not only counterproductive, it is short-sighted, foolish and might I even say stupid.

Tom Seiler

Dover

To the editor: Senator Kelly Ayotte is confused and conflicted, financially, politically and logically. On one hand she rants and rails against “out of control” government spending. On the other hand she supports the ridiculously expensive concept of creating Guantanamo Bay II to hold future captured terrorists. Foreign policy and national security were never Ayotte’s areas of expertise, and she won’t change that fact with this latest wild idea.

We have to assume that she is aware that it costs $800K to hold a prisoner in Gitmo, over 30 times more than at federal maximum security facilities. I am sure she also fully understands both the excellent capabilities of our federal prisons and that the system has space available.

Most Republicans, if presented with such a redundant proposal by an Obama administration official, would suggest that person be sent to one of those federal prisons. But not Kelly Ayotte, she seems to favor “borrowing from the Chinese” to build an off-shore prison which isn’t needed and will cost many multiples of a home based facility to operate.

Ayotte has such disrespect for legal rights that she wants terrorists held, indefinitely, without due process. Further to this point, in last year’s defense bill, she proposed an amendment to legalize torture. This is extremely disappointing behavior from the former NH Attorney General who seems to have forgotten what she learned in law school about individual’s rights.

Ayotte is driven not by fiscal responsibility or basic logic but by political ideology. Neither does she recognize the hypocrisy of condemning Obama for not believing in “American Exceptionalism” while at the same time insulting the American justice system and the Federal Bureau of Prisons as incapable of prosecuting and incarcerating any additional terrorists. They seem to have done very well with the terrorists associated with 9/11.

Senator Ayotte would do better to concentrate her funding efforts on the Berlin federal prison. The Berlin facility has sat empty for two years, I repeat empty for two years, due to a lack of operating funding and would provide 400-500 local jobs once opened.

Dave Potter

North Hampton

To the editor: God has welcomed twenty-six angels into his home above where they will be safe, wrapped in the arms of God, with the serenity of peace and love.

So young and yet so innocent, not knowing what tomorrow will bring their love, their laughter, and their smiles as our Angels they will sing.

They will sing in your hearts, and you will always hear, the voice of your loved one for they have no fear.

Let the faith and strength begin to heal you since God took your loved ones away

Rest in peace, my little angels ‘til we all meet again someday.

Barbara A. Rogers

Rochester

To the editor: I got to say that having more gun control is a great idea. Those that want to hunt that is fine. Those that want to target practice that is fine. But let’s get rid of the semiautomatics.

Those that should have those type of guns should be those that are in service, like police and those that are in service. Those that are target practicing, like here in town, should not be allowed to do so. Who is to say that they will in turn use those guns on any of us. We don’t know what they will do with them.

Believe in protecting their property and such but they can do that with regular guns and not those that fire more than two shots at a time. The Police Department. here in town allows people to target practice with such guns. It sounds like a war zone.

I can image what it was like with the children and teachers that was in the school when the person, mentally ill person, went in and shot and killed 26. We need stricter laws when it comes to semi-automatic guns and guns of the same type. We don’t need to outlaw guns for it will be like it is with outlawing marijuana. They will get them no matter what. We need to make sure that mentally ill people can’t get hands on guns period. How to do that is what is needed. Am afraid for my life also knowing that the police allow people to target practice, for four hours, with such guns.

Belinda Gleason

Lee/Strafford

To the editor: What Mr. “NRA” LaPierre keeps getting quoted on, since his news conference, is, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” When a good guy with a gun came upon the scene of Congresswoman Giffords’ shooting, he nearly drew on a bystander who was holding down the shooter. That looked like a bad guy to him, fast assessment. A good guy with a gun coming along can extend the emptying of weapons’ ammo. More chance for struck or dead bystanders.

What comes to mind is that in the wide world, the reasoning LaPierre uses is precisely the one that keeps our military spending rising way beyond the spending of all the rest of the world combined. The U.S. spends insanely into huge debt on our military (while other needs are neglected), so we can be the good guy with the gun coming along to take out the bad guy with the gun. We are the NRA to the rest of the world. No wonder LaPierre doesn’t see his reasoning as laughable.

Really, for the cultural change we need, post Sandy Hook Elementary’s victims, we must draw back from ammo-releasing and fighting as solution to problems. Exploration of options is needed. How else can we get to peace without obliteration being the result of our “helping”? I look for leadership that thinks this through and breaks the mold that gets us perpetual and costly war and war readiness. Everyday and non-stop war, sadly, accustoms us to death and murder. This can and must change.

Lynn Rudmin Chong

Sanbornton

To the editor: I am writing this letter to thank the members of AARP’s six chapters here in Maine. Maine is number one in all of New England when it comes to food insecurity. Especially during the winter months many in our state grapple with keeping food on the table. AARP’s six chapters made an extraordinary effort to help by hosting local food drives that support food pantries and other programs such as Meals on Wheels.

The chapters collected more than 6,500 pounds of food this year and several made sizable cash donations as well. These contributions will go a long way toward helping low-income Mainers who might otherwise go hungry in the coming months.

As they did last year, many local businesses participated in the AARP Chapter food drives making the effort a true community affair. With Maine ranking ninth in the nation for food insecurity, it is especially important for us all to be aware of the needs of others.

AARP was founded more than 50 years ago by a retired educator, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, who recognized the power of community and the difference each one of us can make through “creating the good.” We applaud the AARP chapters for their dedication and generosity.

Greg Cross

AARP Maine Community Outreach Director

Portland

To the editor: While I do not often quote or even read the Bible, many of those who are strong gun rights supporters, and so called “Christians”, often use the Bible to support their views. During the current debate regarding the need for some reasonable gun safety legislation, a biblical quote came to mind. The quote comes directly from Jesus when he was being arrested by the Romans in the garden of Gethsemane. Peter pulls a sword to defend Jesus, Jesus tells him to put it away and that “all who draw the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52).

These words from Jesus are more relevant today than when He first spoke them. Those calling for more guns in response to the continuing gun violence in America need to heed the words of Jesus. More guns will simply lead to more gun violence, and those who use and possess guns will be and are more likely to die from guns.

The time is long past due to place reasonable limits on gun and gun related equipment. Every right we have, even those provided by the Second Amendment, come with limits. Every right also requires that we behave responsibility in the exercise of those rights. When the rights of an individual place the greater society at risk then it is appropriate for that society to place reasonable and lawful restrictions on those rights.

The time has come for sane gun safety legislation.

Rich DiPentima

Portsmouth

To the editor: This is an open letter to U.S. Sen. Ayottte.

After the massacre at Sandy Hook, too many parents are living with empty bedrooms. We cannot fathom the agony that has been injected into the lives of those families.

Yes, citizens have a constitutional right to bear arms, but as a society we have a responsibility to prevent slaughter and remove the horrendous specter that assault guns and rifles casts over everyone of us. While the fiscally irrational, big government suggestion from the NRA insults our intelligence, your deflection of the real issue to mental health screams that you are more concerned for your political career and the health of a political party than for our society and nation.

Article 10 of our State Constitution implores us to protect our democracy from private interest or emolument (political career) behavior of our representatives. So as a responsible citizen, I am writing to you to insist that you step up and represent us now. I am also sending this to New Hampshire newspapers with the hope that all other responsible citizens will also contact you. lease have the political will to do what is best for our nation by removing assault guns, rifles and the ownership of excessive volumes of ammunition from citizens. If you cannot, then I would ask you to step down so that someone with more conviction to the whole of our society can represent us.